Seabourn Spirit

Dennis

Age: n/a

Occupation:n/a

Number of Cruises: n/a

Cruise Line: Seabourn

Ship: Seabourn Spirit

Sailing Date: n/a

Itinerary: Mediterranean Cruise

We cruised Athens to Istanbul on the Seabourn Spirit June 15 for 7 days.
It was our first time on Seabourn. We have previously sailed Crystal and
Radisson Seven Seas. The level of service on Seabourn was excellent. The
ship was in great condition, although I did see a section of carpet that
really should be replaced (minor).

Seabourn can be very expensive, but the Athens/Istanbul itinerary was
heavily discounted since it was booking so soon after the war. We felt we
really got a tremendous value with this high a level of service at a
heavily discounted price. The ship was full with almost 1/3 Europeans
(mostly British). This is a very small cruise ship. As a matter of fact
its more like a mega-yacht than a cruise ship and that's how Seabourn
markets it. Ship size is a personal preference thing. I actually liked the
smaller, more intimate feel. However I am very motion sensitive. We had
smooth seas but I imagine in a rough sea you will get quite a lot more
motion than the larger ships. When we were in Kusadasi, Turkey, we were
docked next to the Silver Whisper (Silverseas). The Seabourn Spirit looked
small next to that ship, and that one is considered a small ship.

Boarding was a breeze. The next day was a holiday in Greece so we couldn't
go see the Monastery on Amorgos Island. Instead they pulled into a
protected cove and opened up the
marina off the back of the ship. This is really a cool feature and doesn't
get used all that often. They pulled skiers, banana boats and tubes. There
were inflated canoes and paddle boats. They also have a large steel cage
you can swim in but we just swam in the open off the back of the yacht in
the Agean Sea. It was very salty so you were very buoyant. Can't beat it.

The food was really good and we wound up seeing the Chef on a number of
occasions as he came around to insure everything was right. There were a
number of people with dietary issues that he would personally check on. I
did the galley tour and it was sparkling. Oddly, I always had trouble
getting a glass of water in the Veranda restaurant for breakfast. Always
had to ask multiple times.

We met some really demanding people and the crew did their best to satisfy
them. One night I asked if by chance they had a Crème Brule in the kitchen
(it wasn't on the menu) and out came the most wonderful chocolate one. At
lunch on the top deck my wife and another person we had met wanted
veggie-burgers. They did not have any but called down to the kitchen to
see if there was anything they could do. 15 minutes later, up came a real
veggie-burger made by the Chef. It had chopped veggies and used mashed
potatoes as a binding agent. It was really good and of course, real.

Drinks were all included and you get 2 bottles of liquor in your room
(your selection). We had rum and vodka and one day wanted a Bloody Mary.
We left a note for our Stewardess to see if there was any mix we could get
and when we returned to our room, there was a pitcher of mix in our ice
box. One of the things I liked the most about Seabourn is not having to
sign all the time when you order drinks. Its all inclusive. We wind up
doing a lot of signing on both Crystal and Radisson.

We got lucky in that Eric DeGray, who had just signed on with Legend, was
promoted to Cruise Director and moved to our ship. He is incredibly
talented and brought a breath of fresh air to the usual lounge lizard type
entertainment on small ships. Eric was talented enough to actually do a
real "show".

We had one of the French Balconies. I would recommend them. We had full
balconies on our previous cruises and while this was no substitute, it
sure was nice to open up the "wall" and look out. The weather was nice so
we had it open a lot when we were in the room. The bottom of the balcony
is only out about 1 2 foot and the top is only out about 9 inches. It has
a Plexiglas sheet that was always dirty and hard to see out of. Once we
put the footstools on the balcony and sat out there but it was a bit too
crowded.

Except Istanbul and Kusadasi we booked ships excursions which were fine
but over priced. In Istanbul and Kusadasi we used a local tour operator.
An individual full day tour in a Mercedes in Istanbul costed for 4 of us $
225 and half day tour in Ephesus for $125. They took us everywhere, we
wanted to see and was well worth the money since you get so much more
information when you see these places with a guide than on your own. In
Istanbul the essentials are the Aya Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the
underground cistern, the Grand Bazaar and, if you have time, the Topkapi
Palace although, for me, this last one is not a "must see". The Spice
Bazaar is also interesting but you can see the same thing on a larger
scale in the Grand Bazaar. Venice is a place I would do on my own as a lot
of that city involves wandering around and absorbing the sights. You can
see St. Mark's on your own and not miss anything without a guide. Seabourn
always has a free shore excursion that provides an "experience" you can't
get anywhere else. Ours was the classical concert in Ephesus. In front of
the Library building facade, they had set up cocktail tables and chairs,
covered of course like they do at fancy banquets. There was a Quintet of
strings which played a concert for us as the sun went down and the Library
facade was illuminated in lights. Stunning.

I really liked Seabourn and will cruise them again if I find a good
discounted fare. I think they are too expensive for our needs. While the
service IS better, I can't justify spending the large increase over
Radisson. We are not as demanding of service as others, who will find
Seabourn a good value. To us, once we reach a certain level of service,
more has very diminishing returns.